Daily life here is written on the streets and neighbourhoods. Stalls set up at dawn, neighbours calling across the road, and shared meals that stretch into the evening. Past the last houses the road runs into rainforest, home to forest elephants and gorillas, where voices rise in layered songs among the trees.

The weather is tropical, with a wet season and a dry season, so the drier months make roads and plans easier. A Local Friend opens a door you would not have knocked on, whether it leads into a family courtyard in Bangui or a conversation with a guide who grew up near the forest.